• Dune: A Short Review (no spoilers)

    From Thor Odinson@21:1/5 to All on Thu Oct 21 08:16:19 2021
    I saw Dune last night in 3D in IMAX. I've read the book at least times in
    my life and I've watched the 2000 Syfy miniseries several times also. I
    know every twist and turn of the story, so I wasn't expecting much new. I
    just wanted to see how Denis Villeneuve would tell the story.

    First of all, the casting was almost spot on. The only mistake was the
    gender swapping of Kynes, though the actress herself did a decent enough
    job.

    The cinematography was meh. Everything was too dark, too, dusty, too
    misty, too sandy, etc. In too many scenes, it was just too hard to make
    out what was happening and it became a distraction.

    Paul has a minor amount of character development, but he still seemed
    kind of whiny even at the end. Granted, this is part of a two-part movie,
    but after 2.5 hours, I would have expected more. The Baron Harkonnen has
    vey little personality. Oscar Isaac seemed to be phoning it in a little
    as Duke Leto. Jason Momoa's Duncan Idaho seemed to be having a good time,
    but then Jason Momoa always seems to be having a good time no matter what
    he's doing. Missing from the books is Princess Irulan and Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen.

    Finally, I have one last gripe. There are too many foreshadowing
    flashforwards which leaves the story a non-linear mess in some places. If you're not already a Dune fan, I think this will leave you pretty
    confused in some places.

    I give this movie a 3/5. I could have been better and I hope that part 2 redeems part 1.

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  • From Paul S Person@21:1/5 to Thor Odinson on Thu Oct 21 09:01:10 2021
    On 21 Oct 2021 08:16:19 GMT, Thor Odinson <thor@mjolnir.boom> wrote:

    I saw Dune last night in 3D in IMAX. I've read the book at least times in
    my life and I've watched the 2000 Syfy miniseries several times also. I
    know every twist and turn of the story, so I wasn't expecting much new. I >just wanted to see how Denis Villeneuve would tell the story.

    You are to be commended for your courage.

    I'll watch it when I can rent it for a price I am willing to pay.

    First of all, the casting was almost spot on. The only mistake was the
    gender swapping of Kynes, though the actress herself did a decent enough
    job.

    The cinematography was meh. Everything was too dark, too, dusty, too
    misty, too sandy, etc. In too many scenes, it was just too hard to make
    out what was happening and it became a distraction.

    In the past, darkness has been employed to make the CGI easier.

    Fewer visible details, less money needed.

    Not saying that applies here -- but "can't see what's happening" has
    become a /very/ common complaint made of many movies.

    Paul has a minor amount of character development, but he still seemed
    kind of whiny even at the end. Granted, this is part of a two-part movie,
    but after 2.5 hours, I would have expected more. The Baron Harkonnen has
    vey little personality. Oscar Isaac seemed to be phoning it in a little
    as Duke Leto. Jason Momoa's Duncan Idaho seemed to be having a good time,
    but then Jason Momoa always seems to be having a good time no matter what >he's doing. Missing from the books is Princess Irulan and Feyd-Rautha >Harkonnen.

    Finally, I have one last gripe. There are too many foreshadowing >flashforwards which leaves the story a non-linear mess in some places. If >you're not already a Dune fan, I think this will leave you pretty
    confused in some places.

    Can you at least /tell/ they are flash-forwards [1]? For example, by
    toning down the color saturation. (Preferably /not/ by flashing a red
    light throughout the scene, as at least one film did back in the late
    60s or thereabouts).

    I give this movie a 3/5. I could have been better and I hope that part 2 >redeems part 1.

    [1] I recently saw Vellai Pookal, a Tamil film about a mass murderer
    set in Seattle, where the flash-backs appeared to be part of the
    current time-line, until they suddenly didn't. I found this ...
    disorienting, although the film /itself/ certainly works well.
    --
    "I begin to envy Petronius."
    "I have envied him long since."

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From Thor Odinson@21:1/5 to Paul S Person on Fri Oct 22 07:50:18 2021
    On Thu, 21 Oct 2021 09:01:10 -0700, Paul S Person wrote:

    Can you at least /tell/ they are flash-forwards [1]? For example, by
    toning down the color saturation. (Preferably /not/ by flashing a red
    light throughout the scene, as at least one film did back in the late
    60s or thereabouts).

    You really can't. There's no color saturation or other "dream effect".
    It's just another scene stuck after the previous scene. It's actually
    quite jarring. *I* knew it was a flash forward because I know the story
    but I do think it will be difficult for someone who is new to the story.
    I won't give out specifics, but there is one character that you see more
    often in flash forwards than you do in the current time of the story and
    it leaves you wondering, "where did this person come from?" oh wait, it's another flash forward.

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  • From Paul S Person@21:1/5 to Thor Odinson on Fri Oct 22 08:34:19 2021
    On 22 Oct 2021 07:50:18 GMT, Thor Odinson <thor@mjolnir.boom> wrote:

    On Thu, 21 Oct 2021 09:01:10 -0700, Paul S Person wrote:

    Can you at least /tell/ they are flash-forwards [1]? For example, by
    toning down the color saturation. (Preferably /not/ by flashing a red
    light throughout the scene, as at least one film did back in the late
    60s or thereabouts).

    You really can't. There's no color saturation or other "dream effect".
    It's just another scene stuck after the previous scene. It's actually
    quite jarring. *I* knew it was a flash forward because I know the story
    but I do think it will be difficult for someone who is new to the story.
    I won't give out specifics, but there is one character that you see more >often in flash forwards than you do in the current time of the story and
    it leaves you wondering, "where did this person come from?" oh wait, it's >another flash forward.

    That's ... unfortunate.

    I'll be adjusting the price I am willing to pay to rent it ...
    downwards.

    But I'm sure I'll see it eventually.
    --
    "I begin to envy Petronius."
    "I have envied him long since."

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From novasteve14099@gmail.com@21:1/5 to Paul S Person on Fri Oct 22 16:08:30 2021
    On Friday, October 22, 2021 at 9:34:52 AM UTC-6, Paul S Person wrote:
    On 22 Oct 2021 07:50:18 GMT, Thor Odinson <th...@mjolnir.boom> wrote:

    On Thu, 21 Oct 2021 09:01:10 -0700, Paul S Person wrote:

    Can you at least /tell/ they are flash-forwards [1]? For example, by
    toning down the color saturation. (Preferably /not/ by flashing a red
    light throughout the scene, as at least one film did back in the late
    60s or thereabouts).

    You really can't. There's no color saturation or other "dream effect".
    It's just another scene stuck after the previous scene. It's actually
    quite jarring. *I* knew it was a flash forward because I know the story
    but I do think it will be difficult for someone who is new to the story.
    I won't give out specifics, but there is one character that you see more >often in flash forwards than you do in the current time of the story and
    it leaves you wondering, "where did this person come from?" oh wait, it's >another flash forward.
    That's ... unfortunate.

    I'll be adjusting the price I am willing to pay to rent it ...
    downwards.

    But I'm sure I'll see it eventually.
    --
    "I begin to envy Petronius."
    "I have envied him long since."



    Fortunately I have HBO Max so I can see it for free, still your reviews don't leave me with much hope.
    And unlike most everybody else I actually liked the Lynch version.

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
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  • From Lafe@21:1/5 to novaste...@gmail.com on Sun Oct 24 03:55:38 2021
    "novaste...@gmail.com" <novasteve14099@gmail.com> wrote in news:b86b9b4f-e66e-4558-9668-eddb5639c27dn@googlegroups.com:

    On Friday, October 22, 2021 at 9:34:52 AM UTC-6, Paul S Person wrote:
    <snip>

    I'll be adjusting the price I am willing to pay to rent it ...
    downwards.

    But I'm sure I'll see it eventually.
    --
    "I begin to envy Petronius."
    "I have envied him long since."

    Fortunately I have HBO Max so I can see it for free, still your reviews
    don't leave me with much hope. And unlike most everybody else I
    actually liked the Lynch version.

    I liked the Lynch version well enough, though I wasn't a huge fan of it.
    And I have read the books.

    I thoroughly enjoyed this adaptation.

    My memory of the many details in the books is quite fuzzy, but I didn't
    have any trouble following the "flash-forwards". I didn't think it was a perfect way to convey what they were trying to show, but it did well
    enough. Better than some of the "vision" sequences in the Lynch movie.

    I went into it without having a lot of expectations, but I would say that
    it's easily better than any other movie/miniseries adaptation out there,
    and did a better than average job at making the experience of the movie
    similar to the experience of reading a book (something I think *very* few
    movie adaptations accomplish).

    It certainly wasn't (and can't be) perfect at replicating the book, but it didn't detract from the experience at all for me. I thought the sound,
    music, and cinematography was very well done, and the acting was generally above average, and in some cases truly excellent.

    I think it's well worth your time to see it.

    Lafe

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    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From J. Clarke@21:1/5 to All on Sun Oct 24 04:01:25 2021
    On Sun, 24 Oct 2021 03:55:38 -0000 (UTC), Lafe <lafe@lafes.invalid>
    wrote:

    "novaste...@gmail.com" <novasteve14099@gmail.com> wrote in >news:b86b9b4f-e66e-4558-9668-eddb5639c27dn@googlegroups.com:

    On Friday, October 22, 2021 at 9:34:52 AM UTC-6, Paul S Person wrote: ><snip>

    I'll be adjusting the price I am willing to pay to rent it ...
    downwards.

    But I'm sure I'll see it eventually.
    --
    "I begin to envy Petronius."
    "I have envied him long since."

    Fortunately I have HBO Max so I can see it for free, still your reviews
    don't leave me with much hope. And unlike most everybody else I
    actually liked the Lynch version.

    I liked the Lynch version well enough, though I wasn't a huge fan of it.
    And I have read the books.

    I thoroughly enjoyed this adaptation.

    My memory of the many details in the books is quite fuzzy, but I didn't
    have any trouble following the "flash-forwards". I didn't think it was a >perfect way to convey what they were trying to show, but it did well
    enough. Better than some of the "vision" sequences in the Lynch movie.

    I went into it without having a lot of expectations, but I would say that >it's easily better than any other movie/miniseries adaptation out there,
    and did a better than average job at making the experience of the movie >similar to the experience of reading a book (something I think *very* few >movie adaptations accomplish).

    It certainly wasn't (and can't be) perfect at replicating the book, but it >didn't detract from the experience at all for me. I thought the sound,
    music, and cinematography was very well done, and the acting was generally >above average, and in some cases truly excellent.

    I think it's well worth your time to see it.

    Do you feel that it will benefit from being seen in a theater?

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From Paul S Person@21:1/5 to All on Sun Oct 24 09:23:28 2021
    On Sun, 24 Oct 2021 03:55:38 -0000 (UTC), Lafe <lafe@lafes.invalid>
    wrote:

    "novaste...@gmail.com" <novasteve14099@gmail.com> wrote in >news:b86b9b4f-e66e-4558-9668-eddb5639c27dn@googlegroups.com:

    On Friday, October 22, 2021 at 9:34:52 AM UTC-6, Paul S Person wrote: ><snip>

    I'll be adjusting the price I am willing to pay to rent it ...
    downwards.

    But I'm sure I'll see it eventually.
    --
    "I begin to envy Petronius."
    "I have envied him long since."

    Fortunately I have HBO Max so I can see it for free, still your reviews
    don't leave me with much hope. And unlike most everybody else I
    actually liked the Lynch version.

    I liked the Lynch version well enough, though I wasn't a huge fan of it.
    And I have read the books.

    I thoroughly enjoyed this adaptation.

    My memory of the many details in the books is quite fuzzy, but I didn't
    have any trouble following the "flash-forwards". I didn't think it was a >perfect way to convey what they were trying to show, but it did well
    enough. Better than some of the "vision" sequences in the Lynch movie.

    I went into it without having a lot of expectations, but I would say that >it's easily better than any other movie/miniseries adaptation out there,
    and did a better than average job at making the experience of the movie >similar to the experience of reading a book (something I think *very* few >movie adaptations accomplish).

    It certainly wasn't (and can't be) perfect at replicating the book, but it >didn't detract from the experience at all for me. I thought the sound,
    music, and cinematography was very well done, and the acting was generally >above average, and in some cases truly excellent.

    I think it's well worth your time to see it.

    And I will, eventually.

    But not in a theater. And cerainly not stereoscopically.
    --
    "I begin to envy Petronius."
    "I have envied him long since."

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From Dimensional Traveler@21:1/5 to Lafe on Sun Oct 24 15:36:33 2021
    On 10/23/2021 8:55 PM, Lafe wrote:
    "novaste...@gmail.com" <novasteve14099@gmail.com> wrote in news:b86b9b4f-e66e-4558-9668-eddb5639c27dn@googlegroups.com:

    On Friday, October 22, 2021 at 9:34:52 AM UTC-6, Paul S Person wrote:
    <snip>

    I'll be adjusting the price I am willing to pay to rent it ...
    downwards.

    But I'm sure I'll see it eventually.
    --
    "I begin to envy Petronius."
    "I have envied him long since."

    Fortunately I have HBO Max so I can see it for free, still your reviews
    don't leave me with much hope. And unlike most everybody else I
    actually liked the Lynch version.

    I liked the Lynch version well enough, though I wasn't a huge fan of it.
    And I have read the books.

    I thoroughly enjoyed this adaptation.

    My memory of the many details in the books is quite fuzzy, but I didn't
    have any trouble following the "flash-forwards". I didn't think it was a perfect way to convey what they were trying to show, but it did well
    enough. Better than some of the "vision" sequences in the Lynch movie.

    I went into it without having a lot of expectations, but I would say that it's easily better than any other movie/miniseries adaptation out there,
    and did a better than average job at making the experience of the movie similar to the experience of reading a book (something I think *very* few movie adaptations accomplish).

    It certainly wasn't (and can't be) perfect at replicating the book, but it didn't detract from the experience at all for me. I thought the sound,
    music, and cinematography was very well done, and the acting was generally above average, and in some cases truly excellent.

    I think it's well worth your time to see it.

    I just got back from seeing it and I agree. I think it was actually a
    very good adaptation of a hard to translate to the screen book.


    --
    I've done good in this world. Now I'm tired and just want to be a cranky
    dirty old man.

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From Lafe@21:1/5 to J. Clarke on Mon Oct 25 03:33:42 2021
    J. Clarke <jclarke.873638@gmail.com> wrote in news:9l4angpd864eg1s52b920iqddj92rjmikl@4ax.com: <snip>
    On Sun, 24 Oct 2021 03:55:38 -0000 (UTC), Lafe <lafe@lafes.invalid>
    wrote:

    I liked the Lynch version well enough, though I wasn't a huge fan of it. >>And I have read the books.

    I thoroughly enjoyed this adaptation.

    My memory of the many details in the books is quite fuzzy, but I didn't >>have any trouble following the "flash-forwards". I didn't think it was a >>perfect way to convey what they were trying to show, but it did well >>enough. Better than some of the "vision" sequences in the Lynch movie.

    I went into it without having a lot of expectations, but I would say
    that it's easily better than any other movie/miniseries adaptation out >>there, and did a better than average job at making the experience of the >>movie similar to the experience of reading a book (something I think
    *very* few movie adaptations accomplish).

    It certainly wasn't (and can't be) perfect at replicating the book, but
    it didn't detract from the experience at all for me. I thought the
    sound, music, and cinematography was very well done, and the acting was >>generally above average, and in some cases truly excellent.

    I think it's well worth your time to see it.

    Do you feel that it will benefit from being seen in a theater?

    Well, yes, probably. I saw it at home. But I have a large screen, and
    surround sound with an aggressive subwoofer. It used the subwoofer a lot.
    There was a large dynamic range of quiet conversation to giant
    earth-shaking sound in this movie. If your home theater can handle it,
    watch it at home. It's a long film, and being able to pause to go pee is
    super useful. If you can't watch it at home, the theater will add that
    epic sound (booty shaklng) element to your experience. A bit reminiscent
    of Blade Runner 2048. The sound and music element was fantastic.

    Lafe

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From Ninapenda Jibini@21:1/5 to Dimensional Traveler on Mon Oct 25 04:45:42 2021
    Dimensional Traveler <dtravel@sonic.net> wrote in news:sl4n5h$snm$1@dont-email.me:

    On 10/23/2021 8:55 PM, Lafe wrote:
    "novaste...@gmail.com" <novasteve14099@gmail.com> wrote in
    news:b86b9b4f-e66e-4558-9668-eddb5639c27dn@googlegroups.com:

    On Friday, October 22, 2021 at 9:34:52 AM UTC-6, Paul S Person
    wrote:
    <snip>

    I'll be adjusting the price I am willing to pay to rent it
    ... downwards.

    But I'm sure I'll see it eventually.
    --
    "I begin to envy Petronius."
    "I have envied him long since."

    Fortunately I have HBO Max so I can see it for free, still
    your reviews don't leave me with much hope. And unlike most
    everybody else I actually liked the Lynch version.

    I liked the Lynch version well enough, though I wasn't a huge
    fan of it. And I have read the books.

    I thoroughly enjoyed this adaptation.

    My memory of the many details in the books is quite fuzzy, but
    I didn't have any trouble following the "flash-forwards". I
    didn't think it was a perfect way to convey what they were
    trying to show, but it did well enough. Better than some of
    the "vision" sequences in the Lynch movie.

    I went into it without having a lot of expectations, but I
    would say that it's easily better than any other
    movie/miniseries adaptation out there, and did a better than
    average job at making the experience of the movie similar to
    the experience of reading a book (something I think *very* few
    movie adaptations accomplish).

    It certainly wasn't (and can't be) perfect at replicating the
    book, but it didn't detract from the experience at all for me.
    I thought the sound, music, and cinematography was very well
    done, and the acting was generally above average, and in some
    cases truly excellent.

    I think it's well worth your time to see it.

    I just got back from seeing it and I agree. I think it was
    actually a very good adaptation of a hard to translate to the
    screen book.

    That would be encouraging if I had liked the book.

    --
    Terry Austin

    Proof that Alan Baker is a liar and a fool, and even stupider than
    Lynn:
    https://www.cbp.gov/newsroom/stats/sw-border-migration


    "Terry Austin: like the polio vaccine, only with more asshole."
    -- David Bilek

    Jesus forgives sinners, not criminals.

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From Jason Evans@21:1/5 to novaste...@gmail.com on Mon Oct 25 08:29:34 2021
    On Fri, 22 Oct 2021 16:08:30 -0700 (PDT), novaste...@gmail.com wrote:

    Fortunately I have HBO Max so I can see it for free, still your reviews
    don't leave me with much hope.
    And unlike most everybody else I actually liked the Lynch version.

    I genuinely liked the 2000 Syfy version with the low budget crappy FX and ridiculously cheesy costumes because it was more true to the books. The characters seemed to be more geniune. Even though it was low budget it
    was nearly 4.5 hours long split into 3 episodes which I think gives the
    story time to be told and the characters a chance to grow.

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From Bice@21:1/5 to All on Mon Oct 25 11:11:23 2021
    On Sun, 24 Oct 2021 03:55:38 -0000 (UTC), Lafe <lafe@lafes.invalid>
    wrote:

    "novaste...@gmail.com" <novasteve14099@gmail.com> wrote in >news:b86b9b4f-e66e-4558-9668-eddb5639c27dn@googlegroups.com:

    On Friday, October 22, 2021 at 9:34:52 AM UTC-6, Paul S Person wrote: ><snip>

    I'll be adjusting the price I am willing to pay to rent it ...
    downwards.

    But I'm sure I'll see it eventually.
    --
    "I begin to envy Petronius."
    "I have envied him long since."

    Fortunately I have HBO Max so I can see it for free, still your reviews
    don't leave me with much hope. And unlike most everybody else I
    actually liked the Lynch version.

    My daughter has a crush on Timothee Chalamet, so she got HBO Max
    specifically to watch this movie and talked me into watching it with
    her. I've read the book a few times, mostly trying to figure out why
    so many other people rave about it. For me, it's one of those "I can
    respect it but don't really like it" kind of books.


    I liked the Lynch version well enough, though I wasn't a huge fan of it.
    And I have read the books.

    I thoroughly enjoyed this adaptation.

    Same here. About this one - I thought the Lynch version was Mystery
    Science Theater material.


    My memory of the many details in the books is quite fuzzy, but I didn't
    have any trouble following the "flash-forwards".

    Again, same here. They weren't really flash forwards, they were
    visions and dreams that Paul was having, and I no trouble telling them
    apart from the real-time action of the movie. They were usually in
    slow motion or had a different color tone...or just obviously weren't
    what was happening right that moment.


    It certainly wasn't (and can't be) perfect at replicating the book, but it >didn't detract from the experience at all for me. I thought the sound,
    music, and cinematography was very well done, and the acting was generally >above average, and in some cases truly excellent.

    My major gripe is the same as most modern movies (especially sci-fi
    for some reason) - half the movie was too dark to see what the hell
    was going on. There's a scene towards the end with one of the
    sandworms where I turned to my daughter and said "I bet this would be
    really impressive if you could see ANYTHING right now."


    I think it's well worth your time to see it.

    Agreed, especially for fans of the book. It's well done enough that
    I'm looking forward to watching the second half when it comes out.
    After we watched it on Saturday night, my daughter tried to talk me
    into going to see it in a theater on Sunday (despite having a big
    screen TV and surround sound set-up at home). It would probably
    benefit from a theater-sized screen, but I wasn't wild about the idea
    of sitting in a Covid stew for two and a half hours. So we
    compromised and watched it again on HBO Max and I liked it even better
    the second time.

    Speaking of subwoofers, my minor gripe is that super-loud
    "ba-rooooommmmmmm" noise in the soundtrack that has become another
    cliche of sci-fi movies. That's getting a little tired. Other than
    that though, I thought the soundtrack music was really good.

    The acting was a little flat, but better than I expected given some of
    the other reviews I've read. And I'll take understated and subtle
    over melodramatic and over-the-top any day.

    Best result of the movie - my daughter asked to borrow my copy of Dune
    and asked if there were any other sci-fi books I'd recommend.

    -- Bob

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From Paul S Person@21:1/5 to taustinca@gmail.com on Mon Oct 25 08:17:04 2021
    On Mon, 25 Oct 2021 04:45:42 GMT, Ninapenda Jibini
    <taustinca@gmail.com> wrote:

    Dimensional Traveler <dtravel@sonic.net> wrote in >news:sl4n5h$snm$1@dont-email.me:

    On 10/23/2021 8:55 PM, Lafe wrote:
    "novaste...@gmail.com" <novasteve14099@gmail.com> wrote in
    news:b86b9b4f-e66e-4558-9668-eddb5639c27dn@googlegroups.com:

    On Friday, October 22, 2021 at 9:34:52 AM UTC-6, Paul S Person
    wrote:
    <snip>

    I'll be adjusting the price I am willing to pay to rent it
    ... downwards.

    But I'm sure I'll see it eventually.
    --
    "I begin to envy Petronius."
    "I have envied him long since."

    Fortunately I have HBO Max so I can see it for free, still
    your reviews don't leave me with much hope. And unlike most
    everybody else I actually liked the Lynch version.

    I liked the Lynch version well enough, though I wasn't a huge
    fan of it. And I have read the books.

    I thoroughly enjoyed this adaptation.

    My memory of the many details in the books is quite fuzzy, but
    I didn't have any trouble following the "flash-forwards". I
    didn't think it was a perfect way to convey what they were
    trying to show, but it did well enough. Better than some of
    the "vision" sequences in the Lynch movie.

    I went into it without having a lot of expectations, but I
    would say that it's easily better than any other
    movie/miniseries adaptation out there, and did a better than
    average job at making the experience of the movie similar to
    the experience of reading a book (something I think *very* few
    movie adaptations accomplish).

    It certainly wasn't (and can't be) perfect at replicating the
    book, but it didn't detract from the experience at all for me.
    I thought the sound, music, and cinematography was very well
    done, and the acting was generally above average, and in some
    cases truly excellent.

    I think it's well worth your time to see it.

    I just got back from seeing it and I agree. I think it was
    actually a very good adaptation of a hard to translate to the
    screen book.

    That would be encouraging if I had liked the book.

    And you might still like the movie -- unless, in this case, adaptation
    /is/ transcription.
    --
    "I begin to envy Petronius."
    "I have envied him long since."

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From Paul S Person@21:1/5 to All on Mon Oct 25 08:29:59 2021
    On Mon, 25 Oct 2021 11:11:23 GMT, eichler2@comcastsucks.net (Bice)
    wrote:

    On Sun, 24 Oct 2021 03:55:38 -0000 (UTC), Lafe <lafe@lafes.invalid>
    wrote:

    "novaste...@gmail.com" <novasteve14099@gmail.com> wrote in >>news:b86b9b4f-e66e-4558-9668-eddb5639c27dn@googlegroups.com:

    On Friday, October 22, 2021 at 9:34:52 AM UTC-6, Paul S Person wrote: >><snip>

    I'll be adjusting the price I am willing to pay to rent it ...
    downwards.

    But I'm sure I'll see it eventually.
    --
    "I begin to envy Petronius."
    "I have envied him long since."

    Fortunately I have HBO Max so I can see it for free, still your reviews
    don't leave me with much hope. And unlike most everybody else I
    actually liked the Lynch version.

    My daughter has a crush on Timothee Chalamet, so she got HBO Max
    specifically to watch this movie and talked me into watching it with
    her. I've read the book a few times, mostly trying to figure out why
    so many other people rave about it. For me, it's one of those "I can
    respect it but don't really like it" kind of books.


    I liked the Lynch version well enough, though I wasn't a huge fan of it. >>And I have read the books.

    I thoroughly enjoyed this adaptation.

    Same here. About this one - I thought the Lynch version was Mystery
    Science Theater material.

    The "wierding modules" /alone/ would qualify it.

    I /like/ the Lynch version, BTW; but the "wierding modules" are just
    ... wierd.

    My memory of the many details in the books is quite fuzzy, but I didn't >>have any trouble following the "flash-forwards".

    Again, same here. They weren't really flash forwards, they were
    visions and dreams that Paul was having, and I no trouble telling them
    apart from the real-time action of the movie. They were usually in
    slow motion or had a different color tone...or just obviously weren't
    what was happening right that moment.

    Well, that helps.

    It certainly wasn't (and can't be) perfect at replicating the book, but it >>didn't detract from the experience at all for me. I thought the sound, >>music, and cinematography was very well done, and the acting was generally >>above average, and in some cases truly excellent.

    My major gripe is the same as most modern movies (especially sci-fi
    for some reason) - half the movie was too dark to see what the hell
    was going on. There's a scene towards the end with one of the
    sandworms where I turned to my daughter and said "I bet this would be
    really impressive if you could see ANYTHING right now."

    But that would cost a lot more because the CGI would have to actually
    be done. Budgets can be limiting.

    O'Brien's second /The Lost World/ uses costumed lizards instead of
    stop-motion because of budget problems.

    But CGI doesn't have that option available. Doing less of it is the
    only way to save money.

    I think it's well worth your time to see it.

    Agreed, especially for fans of the book. It's well done enough that
    I'm looking forward to watching the second half when it comes out.
    After we watched it on Saturday night, my daughter tried to talk me
    into going to see it in a theater on Sunday (despite having a big
    screen TV and surround sound set-up at home). It would probably
    benefit from a theater-sized screen, but I wasn't wild about the idea
    of sitting in a Covid stew for two and a half hours. So we
    compromised and watched it again on HBO Max and I liked it even better
    the second time.

    Speaking of subwoofers, my minor gripe is that super-loud
    "ba-rooooommmmmmm" noise in the soundtrack that has become another
    cliche of sci-fi movies. That's getting a little tired. Other than
    that though, I thought the soundtrack music was really good.

    I can't /wait/ to hear how that sounds on my single-speaker Fire HD 6
    or my stereo TV (if I rent it on DVD)!

    Actually, I /couild/ wait a long time with some other film, but this
    is /Dune/ we are talking about, so I will be seeing it eventually.

    Of course, I /could/ wait for part 2 and then rent both ...

    The acting was a little flat, but better than I expected given some of
    the other reviews I've read. And I'll take understated and subtle
    over melodramatic and over-the-top any day.

    Best result of the movie - my daughter asked to borrow my copy of Dune
    and asked if there were any other sci-fi books I'd recommend.

    That is indeed the best gain of all!

    Here's hoping she likes the book!

    If she does, the sequels might be worth mentioning.
    --
    "I begin to envy Petronius."
    "I have envied him long since."

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From Paul S Person@21:1/5 to All on Mon Oct 25 08:15:49 2021
    On Mon, 25 Oct 2021 03:33:42 -0000 (UTC), Lafe <lafe@lafes.invalid>
    wrote:

    J. Clarke <jclarke.873638@gmail.com> wrote in >news:9l4angpd864eg1s52b920iqddj92rjmikl@4ax.com: <snip>
    On Sun, 24 Oct 2021 03:55:38 -0000 (UTC), Lafe <lafe@lafes.invalid>
    wrote:

    I liked the Lynch version well enough, though I wasn't a huge fan of it. >>>And I have read the books.

    I thoroughly enjoyed this adaptation.

    My memory of the many details in the books is quite fuzzy, but I didn't >>>have any trouble following the "flash-forwards". I didn't think it was a >>>perfect way to convey what they were trying to show, but it did well >>>enough. Better than some of the "vision" sequences in the Lynch movie.

    I went into it without having a lot of expectations, but I would say
    that it's easily better than any other movie/miniseries adaptation out >>>there, and did a better than average job at making the experience of the >>>movie similar to the experience of reading a book (something I think >>>*very* few movie adaptations accomplish).

    It certainly wasn't (and can't be) perfect at replicating the book, but >>>it didn't detract from the experience at all for me. I thought the
    sound, music, and cinematography was very well done, and the acting was >>>generally above average, and in some cases truly excellent.

    I think it's well worth your time to see it.

    Do you feel that it will benefit from being seen in a theater?

    Well, yes, probably. I saw it at home. But I have a large screen, and >surround sound with an aggressive subwoofer. It used the subwoofer a lot. >There was a large dynamic range of quiet conversation to giant
    earth-shaking sound in this movie. If your home theater can handle it,
    watch it at home. It's a long film, and being able to pause to go pee is >super useful. If you can't watch it at home, the theater will add that
    epic sound (booty shaklng) element to your experience. A bit reminiscent
    of Blade Runner 2048. The sound and music element was fantastic.

    And I thought Sensurround was a thing of the past ...

    or, rather, I had /hoped/ it was, having seen how it was used in
    /Midway/ and /Rollercoaster/.
    --
    "I begin to envy Petronius."
    "I have envied him long since."

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From Jibini Kula Tumbili Kujisalimisha@21:1/5 to Paul S Person on Mon Oct 25 10:26:32 2021
    Paul S Person <psperson1@ix.netcom.invalid> wrote in news:piidngl2v8bj1fic3jh0nl1r6rq9c0891k@4ax.com:

    On Mon, 25 Oct 2021 04:45:42 GMT, Ninapenda Jibini
    <taustinca@gmail.com> wrote:

    Dimensional Traveler <dtravel@sonic.net> wrote in >>news:sl4n5h$snm$1@dont-email.me:

    On 10/23/2021 8:55 PM, Lafe wrote:
    "novaste...@gmail.com" <novasteve14099@gmail.com> wrote in
    news:b86b9b4f-e66e-4558-9668-eddb5639c27dn@googlegroups.com:

    On Friday, October 22, 2021 at 9:34:52 AM UTC-6, Paul S
    Person wrote:
    <snip>

    I'll be adjusting the price I am willing to pay to rent it
    ... downwards.

    But I'm sure I'll see it eventually.
    --
    "I begin to envy Petronius."
    "I have envied him long since."

    Fortunately I have HBO Max so I can see it for free, still
    your reviews don't leave me with much hope. And unlike most
    everybody else I actually liked the Lynch version.

    I liked the Lynch version well enough, though I wasn't a huge
    fan of it. And I have read the books.

    I thoroughly enjoyed this adaptation.

    My memory of the many details in the books is quite fuzzy,
    but I didn't have any trouble following the "flash-forwards".
    I didn't think it was a perfect way to convey what they were
    trying to show, but it did well enough. Better than some of
    the "vision" sequences in the Lynch movie.

    I went into it without having a lot of expectations, but I
    would say that it's easily better than any other
    movie/miniseries adaptation out there, and did a better than
    average job at making the experience of the movie similar to
    the experience of reading a book (something I think *very*
    few movie adaptations accomplish).

    It certainly wasn't (and can't be) perfect at replicating the
    book, but it didn't detract from the experience at all for
    me. I thought the sound, music, and cinematography was very
    well done, and the acting was generally above average, and in
    some cases truly excellent.

    I think it's well worth your time to see it.

    I just got back from seeing it and I agree. I think it was
    actually a very good adaptation of a hard to translate to the
    screen book.

    That would be encouraging if I had liked the book.

    And you might still like the movie -- unless, in this case,
    adaptation /is/ transcription.

    It was the comment that it's "a very good adaptation" that I was
    commenting on. The more faithful to the book it is, the less
    interested I am.

    --
    Terry Austin

    Proof that Alan Baker is a liar and a fool, and even stupider than
    Lynn:
    https://www.cbp.gov/newsroom/stats/sw-border-migration
    (May 2019 total for people arrested for entering the United States
    illegally is over 132,000 for just the southwest border.)

    Vacation photos from Iceland:
    https://plus.google.com/u/0/collection/QaXQkB

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From Paul S Person@21:1/5 to taustinca@gmail.com on Tue Oct 26 08:26:43 2021
    On Mon, 25 Oct 2021 10:26:32 -0700, Jibini Kula Tumbili Kujisalimisha <taustinca@gmail.com> wrote:

    Paul S Person <psperson1@ix.netcom.invalid> wrote in >news:piidngl2v8bj1fic3jh0nl1r6rq9c0891k@4ax.com:

    On Mon, 25 Oct 2021 04:45:42 GMT, Ninapenda Jibini
    <taustinca@gmail.com> wrote:

    Dimensional Traveler <dtravel@sonic.net> wrote in >>>news:sl4n5h$snm$1@dont-email.me:

    On 10/23/2021 8:55 PM, Lafe wrote:
    "novaste...@gmail.com" <novasteve14099@gmail.com> wrote in
    news:b86b9b4f-e66e-4558-9668-eddb5639c27dn@googlegroups.com:

    On Friday, October 22, 2021 at 9:34:52 AM UTC-6, Paul S
    Person wrote:
    <snip>

    I'll be adjusting the price I am willing to pay to rent it
    ... downwards.

    But I'm sure I'll see it eventually.
    --
    "I begin to envy Petronius."
    "I have envied him long since."

    Fortunately I have HBO Max so I can see it for free, still
    your reviews don't leave me with much hope. And unlike most
    everybody else I actually liked the Lynch version.

    I liked the Lynch version well enough, though I wasn't a huge
    fan of it. And I have read the books.

    I thoroughly enjoyed this adaptation.

    My memory of the many details in the books is quite fuzzy,
    but I didn't have any trouble following the "flash-forwards".
    I didn't think it was a perfect way to convey what they were
    trying to show, but it did well enough. Better than some of
    the "vision" sequences in the Lynch movie.

    I went into it without having a lot of expectations, but I
    would say that it's easily better than any other
    movie/miniseries adaptation out there, and did a better than
    average job at making the experience of the movie similar to
    the experience of reading a book (something I think *very*
    few movie adaptations accomplish).

    It certainly wasn't (and can't be) perfect at replicating the
    book, but it didn't detract from the experience at all for
    me. I thought the sound, music, and cinematography was very
    well done, and the acting was generally above average, and in
    some cases truly excellent.

    I think it's well worth your time to see it.

    I just got back from seeing it and I agree. I think it was
    actually a very good adaptation of a hard to translate to the
    screen book.

    That would be encouraging if I had liked the book.

    And you might still like the movie -- unless, in this case,
    adaptation /is/ transcription.

    It was the comment that it's "a very good adaptation" that I was
    commenting on. The more faithful to the book it is, the less
    interested I am.

    Indeed.
    --
    "I begin to envy Petronius."
    "I have envied him long since."

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From Steve Dodds@21:1/5 to All on Sun Oct 31 11:43:27 2021
    Is it just me or did anybody else notice this. It's the year 10,191, they have unbelievable technology, yet everybody fights with knives and swords. Was the book like this?

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From J. Clarke@21:1/5 to novasteve14099@gmail.com on Sun Oct 31 16:34:29 2021
    On Sun, 31 Oct 2021 11:43:27 -0700 (PDT), Steve Dodds <novasteve14099@gmail.com> wrote:

    Is it just me or did anybody else notice this. It's the year 10,191, they have unbelievable technology, yet everybody fights with knives and swords. Was the book like this?

    Part of the incredible technology is shields that stop anything moving
    fast which includes bullets, arrows, blowgun darts, etc. Shoot a laser
    at the shield and you kill whatever is shielded but also blow up the
    laser. And the power of the explosion is unpredictable--may just kill
    the shooter and the target, or may level the whole city. So you have
    swords, knives, and the occasional slow-pellet stunner that shoots a
    dart that moves slowly enough to penetrate a shield.

    In the scene where Paul is fighting Jamis and Stilgar is concerned
    that Paul is toying with him because Paul clearly has Jamis outclassed
    but doesn't end the fight quickly, the reason was that Paul was
    trained with shields and so his attacks were slow enough for Jamis to
    mostly evade.

    The reason Jamis didn't have a shield is that shields are a really bad
    idea on Arrakis--they attract sandworms.

    Also, they (the entire civilization, not just the Fremen) have a
    religion that forbids computers.

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)